Review:

on 2010-05-13 Jonathan_Kroening Said:

Judging this solo debut as an individual work reveals its incidental nature.

Having never heard any music from electronic duo The Knife, its difficult to know where Fever Rays Karin Dreijer is coming from. Most discussions and critiques of her long-awaited solo album, Fever Ray, center on the anticipation for what she would produce apart from The Knife. It seems most pundits find her eponymous debut to be quite similar to the endeavors of the duo. Be as it may, I find this to be one of the least compelling albums of 2009s top 20.

A rather abstract electronic landscape smattered with Dreijers loose vocal can be hypnotic and is, without a doubt, unique. Yet the idiosyncrasies of the ambient tunes lack memorable repetition. Sure, there are recurrent blips and buzzes within the IDM physique, but there is a want for more convincing melodic repetition. The lack thereof doesnt render Fever Ray an awful record, but it doesnt feel like Im missing something by discarding it.

A rather unconvincing listen, I am left wondering if critics, and those in-the-know, too easily get caught up in the hype of a highly anticipated solo album. Analyzing Fever Rays debut record leaves this critic thinking that based on its merit alone -- not in relation to The Knifes discography -- Fever Ray is largely nonessential.

2.5 / 5 stars

-Jonathan Kroening
http://itsjustmusic.net
Rating: 5/10

Review:

on 2009-09-28 musicslave Said:

Where to begin with this wonderfully crafted album? It started a couple years ago with the release of The Knifes "Silent Shout", which I admit, at first I thought was a tad gothic and overhyped, but then something magical happened the more I listened to it, I realized how precious and wonderfull that album was, and how much they had grown since "Deep Cuts", and was floored by the music and vocals on that album. Fast forward to the release of the Fever Ray album, I literally went on a mission the day it came out to buy it, I didnt know if it would be good or not, but I didnt care, I had to own it. (I prefer to buy the physical copies of cd's then download), and thankfull Karin's first solo effort was well worth the trek I had to take to hear the music.


The album opener "If I had a heart" sucked me into this dark but wonderfull place, with a beat and some lyrics that almost overwhelmed me with simplicity, but like everything on this album, was just crafted in a way that takes you in.
"When I grow Up" reminds me a tad of a Thom Yorke beat, and of course that is not at all bad, a wonderfull little guitar loop and beautifull synths that wash you away at the end. Her lyrics on the whole album beg you to feel some form of isolation, but almost in a happy way. "dry and Dusty" and "concrete walls" are the only songs I didnt really care for, they seem to be almost to bleek and to dry for my ears to take. "triangle walks" is a song that, seriously I listened to on repeat for weeks straight, every loop and beat and synth in this one is done so close to perfection in my eyes, It is to me, the best made song of 2009. "nows the only time I know" gets me amped up, if I was a girl, I would listen to that while getting ready for a night out on the town, simply an amzing song. "Im not done yet" and "Keep the streets empty for me" are great songs to end the album with, so hopefully yet so soaked in a night moon, you can feel the images and landscapes being painted by her words. The album ender "coconut" took a bit of time to grow on me, but with its beat that progresses into a 6 mintue wonder and her vocals again, just bring my head to a steady bob and a smile on my face.

This album "Fever Ray" shows The Knifes Karin in a new light, similar to a knife album, but different enough to be its own entity, and for that I am greatfull. It shows where pop music should go, and what evolution of an artist should be. I only hope Olaf's solo effort will be as good, but if not, this album gave me enough music to enjoy for years to come. Kudos to Karin, and a thank you for making an album that was able to be fully complete and deeply affective.

Rating: 9/10

on 2009-06-11 dscanland Said:

I'm loving Fever Ray right now. Check it out if you like the Knife!
Not Rated